Joel Edgerton Offered Leading Role in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’

We heard the news today that the promising Aussie actor Joel Edgerton is being courted for a leading role in Noam Murro‘s 300: Battle of Artemisia, the quasi-prequel riff on Zack Snyder‘s 2006 Gerard Butler-starrer. And I, for one, wouldn’t in good conscience blame Edgerton if he took the role — his two latest endeavors, Warrior and The Thing, have had frustrating box-office showings thus far.

In the particular case of the former, too, Edgerton is given free reign, alongside the punishing duo of Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte, to show off his legitimate talent, and it’s a shame that not enough people have gone out of their way to see the film.

And on the heels of that 300-related news, Edgerton has also been tapped for another showcasing role — secret agent Illya Kuryakin, the co-lead to Bradley Cooper‘s gestating (though, according to this new report linked below, still not confirmed) involvement as Napoleon Solo in Steven Soderbergh‘s adaptation of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. This is welcome news, I’d say, in light of the recent 300 announcement.

Not only does this alignment with Soderbergh serve to maintain Edgerton‘s respectable image, but, considering the growing commercial tendencies of the prolific filmmaker — Contagion has hauled in over $100 million worldwide, and the forthcoming Haywire certainly looks to be a thoroughly action-oriented thrill ride — this project could also raise Edgerton‘s moneymaking profile. [Vulture]

Here’s hoping that, with the obvious wealth of options, Edgerton ends up in the right place. It’d do us no good to see a talent like his get lost in the shuffle.

What do you think of these two offers for Edgerton? Do you think they’ll end up being box-office successes?